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Tag: Public safety

Teen in U.S. illegally gets probation after killing Colorado woman at 90 mph
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Teen in U.S. illegally gets probation after killing Colorado woman at 90 mph

By Shaun Boyd | CBS News The Arapahoe District Attorney's Office is defending its decision to give probation and community service to a teenager who was driving illegally and, in the country illegally, when he killed a woman.    The accident happened last July in Aurora. The victim, Kaitlyn Weaver, was headed home from work when a Jeep, barreling through a residential neighborhood, slammed into her car. The speed limit in the area was 45 mph. Investigators say the driver was doing more than 90 mph. "She didn't even see him coming," her dad, John Weaver, said. "That's how fast he was going. She was effectively killed instantly." He says he and his wife Michelle removed their daughter from life support 2 days later, "How do you fathom that loss?"   Weaver says h...
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Denver ICE ride-along: Colorado jail limits force agents into streets as officer assaults surge 400%
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Approved, KXRM-TV, Local

Denver ICE ride-along: Colorado jail limits force agents into streets as officer assaults surge 400%

By Sarah Ferguson | KXRM (COLORADO SPRINGS) — Recently, NewsNation affiliate KXRM went on a ride-along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Denver, as its officers conducted targeted enforcement actions on at-large fugitives from ICE in Colorado Springs. From attending the early morning briefing, to witnessing ICE officers making arrests of “public safety threats,” to touring the Florence Sub-Office for processing, KXRM was able to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into an arrest made by ICE officers and the steps taken thereafter.  Morning briefing: Day of ride-along Just before 5 a.m. on the day of KXRM’s ride-along with ICE Denver, our team met with officers at an undisclosed location where the morning briefing ensued. During the briefing, ICE officers...
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Denver kills camera contract over ICE fears, leaving crime-fighting tools off the table
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Denver kills camera contract over ICE fears, leaving crime-fighting tools off the table

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — On May 5, the Denver City Council failed to approve a contract extension with Flock, a tech surveillance company that has been contracted to provide over 100 license plate readers around the county. The city first contracted with Flock in March 2023, with the original agreement lasting through the end of this February. The amendment would have extended the contract by another two years for $666,000. The original contract cost the city $339,450, but the cost wasn’t the main reason why council members voted no. Instead, the members cited privacy concerns, questioning who has access to the data as Denver continues to remain in the crosshairs of the Trump Administration for so-called “sanctuary laws.” Members worried that ...
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Gazette editorial board: Veto HB 25-1147 to stop the soft-on-crime overreach
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Gazette editorial board: Veto HB 25-1147 to stop the soft-on-crime overreach

The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette Our state was slammed by a crime wave a few years ago — aided and abetted by a notoriously offender- friendly, victims-be-damned Legislature — leaving it to hard-hit local governments to figure out how to respond. With state lawmakers abandoning the crime fight on every front — hard drugs, auto theft, illegal immigration, you name it — a number of Colorado cities, commendably, took the reins. Some municipalities imposed stiffer sentences than the state’s for shoplifting and motor vehicle theft. Some made clear they’d continue to cooperate with federal authorities seeking to catch lawbreakers who had entered the country illegally. Some cities also stepped up policing to bridge the gap in justice created by a Capitol that had gone...
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Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement

By George Brauchler | Commentary, Denver Gazette SB 25-276 is a Democrat-only sponsored bill that attacks the rule of law and will make Colorado less safe and less just. It contains a predictably steep, yet unquantified, unfunded mandate to counties, who fund the 23 district attorneys’ offices across Colorado. SB 276 expands the opportunity for “noncitizen defendants” to challenge every guilty plea they have entered to every class of misdemeanor, petty offense, and even municipal charges,” at any time following the entry of a guilty plea.” There is no time limitation for this challenge. Why? To protect noncitizens from the immigration consequences associated with convictions for their criminal conduct, of course. Previously, our left-leaning legislature changed the maximum sentenc...
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18 flagged for deportation after Colorado Springs nightclub raid, 86 remain in ICE custody
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

18 flagged for deportation after Colorado Springs nightclub raid, 86 remain in ICE custody

Denver Gazette A spokesperson with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confirmed that 18 people who were taken into custody on April 27 as part of a major raid on an unlicensed Colorado Springs nightclub had previously been ordered to be deported. According to the ICE spokesperson Thursday, 18 of the 104 individuals detained in the raid were “subject to a final order of removal.” The ICE website states: Once an individual receives a final order, ERO facilitates the individual’s safe return to his or her country of origin in accordance with U.S. immigration laws, as well as international commitments and any bilateral agreements which may be in place. The ICE spokesperson declined to say whether the 18 had been deported, or if they had been sent to their country of origi...
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Downtown Denver’s 16th Street Mall still mostly empty despite taxpayer-funded revitalization
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Downtown Denver’s 16th Street Mall still mostly empty despite taxpayer-funded revitalization

By Carly Moore | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — According to a new annual report, the 16th Street Mall is still struggling to fill vacancies, and it’s also dealing with decreased foot traffic. This has been a spot that has struggled to keep businesses for several years, but as construction wraps up by the end of May, representatives at the Downtown Denver Partnership remain optimistic. The Downtown Denver Partnership said the retail vacancy rate is about 30%. Empty storefronts still line 16th Street Mall, and the vacancy rate is twice as much as the rest of downtown’s average of 15%. There are 45 spaces that are empty right now along the mall. “We’re working really closely with the City and County of Denver to provide incentives to provide things like facade and patio grant...
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Michelle Chandler stopped a predator — and uncovered victims who may never know
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Michelle Chandler stopped a predator — and uncovered victims who may never know

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice On May 11, 2024, at Nordstrom Rack in Lakewood, Colorado, Michelle Chandler caught a man filming her inside a women’s fitting room. She didn’t freeze or panic. Instead, she confronted him, pinned him to the ground and held him until help arrived – or so she thought.  What happened next wasn’t the swift arrival of justice. It was abandonment: by store employees, by security and later, by a system more concerned with procedure than protection. Chandler’s story quickly gained attention when she posted about it on Instagram. Social media influencers – including David Harris Jr. posted about the video. Local radio and National news outlets reached out to cover the story. And strangers from Canada to Europe responded, showing their support.&nb...
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Cole: Illegal driving, rising costs, and scarce patrols—welcome to Denver’s roads
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Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Cole: Illegal driving, rising costs, and scarce patrols—welcome to Denver’s roads

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Each afternoon, my three-mile commute home in Denver’s metro area is a nerve-wrecking ordeal. Drivers speed through stop signs, ignore red lights, or stop inexplicably at unmarked intersections. Cars swerve across lanes, straddle the center line, or disrupt four-way stops.  Vehicles without plates, with expired tags, or overdue permits are all too common.  As a single-income earner with only liability insurance, I dread a crash with an uninsured driver.  One accident could destroy my car—my lifeline to work and rent.  Since 2020, Denver’s roads have descended into chaos. I believe the combination of unenforced traffic laws, a 25% rise in undocumented immigration, and soaring cost of living fuels this...
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